Telfair House

Built in 1902 at 209 N. Preston in Ennis, Texas, this two-story frame house combines a four-square plan with Neoclassical Revival details. Hix McCanless, described as a prolific local architect, designed it. The house has weatherboard siding, a hip roof with wood shingles, and double-hung wood windows. The single-door main entrance has a transom and sidelights. An eight-bay hip-roofed porch wraps around the east elevation, with Doric columns and turned wood balusters. Interior brick chimneys have corbeled caps, and a secondary entry sits at the rear of the porch. The moderate eave overhang, balanced facade, rectangular massing and classically influenced porch supports mark the Neoclassical Revival style. The inventory calls it an outstanding example of a locally rare plan type. The property was moved to its present residential area northwest of the central business district. It was owned by two generations of the Telfair family, starting with railroad man John Spier Telfair. A metal shed or carport is the only outbuilding, and the house remains in residential use.